It seems like kids’ birthday parties these days are supposed to be bigger and better than ever before. Every other week you’re sending your child off to a princess-themed party with a cake that cost more than your wedding cake or an afternoon doing what looks like a very expensive activity. But not everyone can afford to throw their child an extravagant birthday. That doesn’t mean you want them to miss out, though. If you’re on a budget, but you still want your child and their friends to have a good time, you can still plan something they’ll love. Here’s how to do it.
Make Digital Invites
Giving out invitations is one of the most important parts of hosting a kids’ party. However, having them designed and printed is expensive. What’s more, some schools now frown on handing out invites at school, unless you’re inviting your child’s whole class. If you want to do something different, try going digital instead. You can use Adobe Spark Invitation Maker to make your invites. Collect the email addresses of the parents of the invitees, if you don’t already have them, and email out your invites instead. It also gives you an easy way to prompt people for a response. A quick follow-up email is easier than hunting down the right parents to get an answer.
Use Personal Connections
If you want to have party entertainment, it can get expensive to hire someone for a day. Think about who might be in your personal network who could help you out. You wouldn’t necessarily expect them to work for free. However, you can find cheaper entertainment from someone who is less established or doesn’t usually entertain professionally. You might have friends or family who can help, or they might know someone they can refer you to.
Get Guests to Make Their Party Favors
On top of entertaining the guests, you’re also expected to send them home with something. However, you can do it for less by killing two birds with one stone. Create a craft activity station where the kids can make their own party favors to take home. They could decorate a mug, ice a cupcake, color in a mask, or do any number of craft activities. At the end of the day, they will have something to take home as a reminder of the fun time they had.
Stick to Good Old-fashioned Fun
Having hired entertainment is fun, but it can also be very expensive. It’s by no means essential for a kids’ party. Think back to the parties you attended as a child and what you did there. Chances are, there wasn’t a magician or a balloon maker at most of them. Kids today might have access to video games and tablet computers, but they can still enjoy a game of musical chairs, or Simon Says. You don’t have to over-complicate things to make everything fun or give in to the pressure of what other parents do.
A kids’ party doesn’t need to be expensive. You can still impress your tiny guests on a budget.
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